pastor

/ˈpɑː.stə/

//ˈpɑː.stə// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"pastor" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pastor” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,277. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,277
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who tends to a flock of animals: synonym of shepherd.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pastor · pastor · English

pastor · rank #6,277 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,277
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH particles

Nearest frequency peer: particles (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “pastor”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “pastor” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

pastor vs pasty
67% similar
pastor vs pesto
67% similar
pastor vs Paton
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for pastor
PropertyValue
Headwordpastor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɑː.stə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,277
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pastor”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).pastorlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “particles” (#6,276), “penalties” (#6,278), “pale” (#6,275). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pastor” is #6,277. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around pastor (IPA /ˈpɑː.stə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,277 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for pastor, with forms such as "apstor", "pasotr", and "passtor". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pasty", "pesto", "Paton", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pastour, from Old French pastor (Modern French pasteur), from Latin pāstor. The correct English form is pastor, spelled P-A-S-T-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who tends to a flock of animals: synonym of shepherd.
  2. 2
    Someone with spiritual authority over a group of people.
  3. 3
    Someone with spiritual authority over a group of people.
  4. 4
    A bird, the rosy starling.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how pastor appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The pastor told CNN on Tuesday that no members of his megachurch have contracted the virus. MacArthur also said he doubted the accuracy of California’s coronavirus numbers. […] Most of the pastors who have bucked the rules are fringe figures in American Christianity.
  2. Agricultural officers have put it on record that the pastor must on balance be considered beneficial on account of the vast quantities of locusts which it destroys.

Etymology

From Middle English pastour, from Old French pastor (Modern French pasteur), from Latin pāstor.

This word in other languages

pastor(Español)pasteur(Français)Pastor(Deutsch)pastor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apstor
  • pasotr
  • passtor
  • pastorr
  • pastro
  • pasttor
  • patsor
  • ppastor
  • psator

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pastor - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

apstor2pasotr2passtor1pastorr1pastro2pasttor1patsor2ppastor1
Edit distance from "pastor"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pastor"?
"pastor" is spelled P-A-S-T-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɑː.stə/.
What does "pastor" mean?
As a noun, "pastor" means: Someone who tends to a flock of animals: synonym of shepherd.
What words are commonly confused with "pastor"?
"pastor" is commonly confused with "pasty", "pesto", "Paton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pastor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pastor" is /ˈpɑː.stə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "pastor"?
From Middle English pastour, from Old French pastor (Modern French pasteur), from Latin pāstor. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "pastor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

poison#6,282prints#6,287layout#6,262labels#6,259

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Hughes9 variantssubtle9 variantstragic9 variantsfabric9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list